Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113
Bridgette Keefe

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2006 - The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), today announced the publication of a notice of sanitary and phytosanitary standard-setting activities of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex).

The notice also provides a list of other standard setting activities of Codex, including commodity standards, guidelines, codes of practice and revised texts. This notice, which covers the time periods from June 1, 2005, to May 31, 2006 and June 1, 2006, to May 31, 2007, seeks comments on standards currently under consideration and recommendations for new standards.

Codex carries out activities related to international sanitary and phytosanitary standard-setting aimed at ensuring food products are free from adulteration and are correctly
labeled.

Codex was created in 1963 by two United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Codex develops food standards, guidelines and codes of practice in order to protect the health of consumers, ensure fair food trade practices and promote coordination of food standards undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Persons wishing to submit comments are encouraged to access FSIS' Web site at www.fsis.usda.gov for further instructions. The comments will be posted on the Agency's Web site at www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/
2006_Notices_Index/.

For further information, contact Edward Scarbrough, Ph.D., U.S. Manager for Codex, USDA, Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, Room 4861, South Agriculture Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250; or by phone at (202) 205-7760.

The U.S. Codex Office also maintains a Web site at: www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations/Codex_Alimentarius/.